Condition Basics
What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which is a difference in how a person’s brain develops and works. It is a type of learning disability. Dyslexia can cause challenges with reading words and spelling them correctly. It can affect a person’s daily life, emotions, behaviour, memory, and how they feel about themself (self-esteem).
Having dyslexia doesn't mean that your or your child's ability to learn is the problem. It means that you learn in a different way. Learning can be harder when there are challenges with reading, understanding what you read, and communicating ideas. In children, dyslexia can change as they get older.
People with dyslexia often learn best in different ways, such as listening, using visuals, doing hands-on learning, or connecting to real-life examples. With the right support, people with dyslexia do well in school and at work.
What causes it?
The cause of dyslexia is not fully known, but research shows:
- It often runs in families (genetic factors).
- It involves differences in networks the brain uses for language.
- Sometimes, learning challenges can happen after a brain injury or neurological illness.
Dyslexia is not cause by vision problems, lack of effort, poor teaching, or how language is used at home.
How is it diagnosed?
To diagnose dyslexia, a psychologist, educational specialist, or speech-language pathologist will do an assessment. They will usually:
- Gather information from parents or caregivers, teachers, and your child.
- Review your child's academic and classroom history.
- Do an assessment of how your child learns best (psycho-educational assessment).
- Check your child's reading, language processing, memory, and cognitive strengths.
To find out about having your child assessed for dyslexia, contact your child's school, your local community health centre, or a private psychologist.
How is dyslexia treated?
There is no cure for dyslexia or other neurodevelopmental disorders. But there are many ways to support your child to improve their skills.
Supports focus on:
- Giving structured, step-by-step reading support.
- Teaching phonological awareness (sounds in words) and decoding skills. This can happen using audiobooks and graphic novels and reading with your child. Text-to-speech applications on tablets or computers can also support learning.
- Practising reading skills often.
- Making changes at school to remove unnecessary challenges.
What are common strengths of people with dyslexia?
People with dyslexia have many strengths, such as:
- Speaking and communicating well.
- Creativity.
- Problem-solving.
- Spatial reasoning (understanding how things fit and work together).
- Empathy (understanding what others are feeling).
Dyslexia doesn't limit a person's future. Many people with dyslexia have successful careers in creative areas, business, technology, skilled trades, and more.
Symptoms
Symptoms may depend on age and are different for everyone. You will usually start to notice symptoms in early childhood.
Early signs (preschool years)- Delayed speech or difficulty learning new words.
- Trouble recognizing rhymes or sounds in words.
- Difficulty learning letter names or sounds.
School-aged children- Difficulty sounding out words.
- Reading very slowly or having to work very hard to read.
- Making a lot of spelling errors.
- Skipping words or losing place while reading.
- Having a better understanding when listening than when reading.
- Needing to read text more than once to understand it.
- Difficulty remembering sequences (like days, months, or instructions) or number facts.
- Confusing small words, such as "at" and "to."
Adolescents and adults- Reading slowly.
- Difficulty with written assignments.
- Avoiding tasks that involve a lot of reading.
- Being a strong speaker but having a hard time with writing.
If your child has one of these symptoms, it doesn't mean that your child has dyslexia. But if your child has several symptoms and reading problems, or if you have a family history of dyslexia, you may want to have your child checked.
Dyslexia and other conditions
Dyslexia often happens along with other conditions, including:
- ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
- Language disorders.
- Anxiety or low self-esteem.
- Dysgraphia (writing difficulties).
- Dyscalculia (math-related learning difficulties).
People with dyslexia often need support for their mental health and well-being, along with school and learning supports.
Learn more
When to Call a Doctor
You may want to get an assessment or professional support for your child if:
- Their reading difficulties don't improve with help.
- Their progress is slower than you expect.
- They are feeling very frustrated or stressed, or they are avoiding reading-related activities.
- There is a family history of dyslexia.
Getting support for a child with dyslexia as early as possible will help them succeed in school and improve their well-being. To learn more, contact your child's school, your local community health centre, or a private psychologist.
Treatment Overview
Treatment involves a number of teaching methods to help your child read better. These include:
- Teaching how letters are linked to sounds to make words.
- Having the child read aloud to a teacher or classroom aide.
- Teaching the child to listen to and repeat instructions.
Provincial laws may require schools to set up a learning plan to meet the needs of a child with dyslexia. An example of this is an Individualized Education Program (IEP). An IEP may also be called an Individualized Program Plan (IPP). You, your child's teachers, and other school personnel will have a say in designing the plan. The plan is updated each year based on how well your child is doing and what your child's needs are.
Medicines and counselling usually aren't a part of treatment for dyslexia.
Dyslexia will never fully go away, but early treatment during childhood can help. Support from family, teachers, and friends is also important.
Helping Your Child
Children who have dyslexia may need emotional support for the many challenges they face. Here is a list of ways parents can offer encouragement.
- Learn about dyslexia.
Learning more can help you better understand and help your child.
- Recognize and teach to your child's areas of strength. Encourage their hobbies and interests that are not related to school.
For example, if your child understands more when listening, let your child learn new information by listening to an audiobook. If you can, follow up with the same story in written form.
- Teach your child to keep trying.
There may be things your child will struggle with. Help your child understand that struggles can lead to success.
- Help your child learn how to cope with school.
Your child may need to learn how to manage their schedule, organize work, manage their time, follow homework routines, and complete multiple assignments and long-term projects.
- Consider counselling if your child needs more support.
If you think your child has self-esteem problems related to dyslexia, counselling may help.
Helping your child develop reading skills
You can be a positive force in your child's education. Following is a list of ways parents can help their young children who have dyslexia develop reading skills.
- Read to your child.
Find time to read to your child every day. Point to the words as you read. Draw attention to words that you run across in daily life, such as traffic signs, billboards, notices, and labels.
- Be a good reading role model.
Show your child how important reading is to daily life. Make books, magazines, and other reading materials available for your child to explore and enjoy independently.
- Focus on the sounds (phonemes) within words.
Play rhyming games, sing songs that emphasize rhyme and alliteration, play word games, sound out letters, and point out similarities in words.
- Work on spelling.
Point out new words, play spelling games, and encourage your child to write.
- Help with time and planning.
Hang up simple charts, clocks, and calendars, so your child can visualize time and plan for the future.
- Share in the joy of reading.
Find books that your child can read but that you will also enjoy. Sit together, take turns reading, and encourage discussion. Revisiting words that cause trouble for your child and rereading stories are powerful tools to reinforce learning.
Building confidence and self-esteem
Children with dyslexia may feel frustrated or doubt themselves. There are many ways you can support your child's emotional well-being:
- Talk about learning differences and how people learn in different ways.
- Celebrate your child's strengths.
- Help your child understand how they learn best.
- Get counselling for your child if you are concerned about their self-esteem or anxiety.
Learn more
Credits
Adaptation Date: 04/17/2026
Adapted By: Alberta Health Services
Adaptation Reviewed By: Alberta Health Services
